Five X79 boards to choose from

Subject: Motherboards | January 23, 2012 - 05:22 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: x79, asus, asrock, Intel, msi, ECS, lga2011, p9x79 deluxe, X79 Extreme9, X79R-AX, DX79SI, X79A-GD65(8D)

There are five usual suspects when discussing the X79 chipset, Asus's P9X79 Deluxe, the Asrock X79 Extreme9, ECS's X79R-AX, Intel's DX79SI and last but not least, MSI's X79A-GD65(8D).  While very similar overall, each board has distinct features that the companies have introduced as standard over the years, from ASUS' Q-LED to MSI's OC Genie.  TechSpot had their work cut out for them, the boards range in price by $100 and the board that they picked as the winner might just surprise you.

"Those wanting to build the ultimate performance system will naturally turn to Intel’s new LGA2011 platform which recently made its debut with the Sandy Bridge-E processors. This highly refined architecture takes the original Sandy Bridge design and pumps it full of steroids, while adding a few new things. Moreover, the platform is expected to support enthusiast-level Ivy Bridge processors that are slated for release by the end of 2012, adding to the platform's longevity.

So if you're already spending $600+ on a processor alone, you'll want to make sure your motherboard is equally impressive. Today we are checking out five high-end X79 motherboards from Asus, Asrock, ECS, Intel and MSI."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) Review @ OCC
• ECS X79R-AX (Black Extreme) @ AnandTech
• ECS H67H2-M Black Edition Intel H67 Express @ PC Stats
• Biostar TH67XE Intel H67 Express @ PC Stats
• BIOS Option Of The Week - PCI Dynamic Bursting @ Tech ARP

Of ASRock's consistency and an Extreme X79 motherboard

Subject: Motherboards | January 13, 2012 - 03:21 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asrock, x79, X79 Extreme4, lga2011, sandy bridge-e

[H]ard|OCP starts out their review of the ASRock X79 Extreme4 with a tale of two motherboards and the quality issues that they discovered.   In part it is a warning and in part it offers contrast to the decent quality of the review model that they received.  The board did display a few minor problems during testing, which prompted [H] to caution anyone picking this or any other ASRock board that they may need to deal with the RMA process.  Assuming you get a working board the Extreme4 offers a great experience for you.  The two PCIe 16x slots and single 8x slot are all PCIe 2.0 which may disappoint some who plan on upgrading their CPU or installing a PCIe SSD card.  Apart from those two main issues, [H] were quite happy with this board.

"After the last couple of ASRock boards, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to see another one. The ASRock X79 Extreme4 not only surpassed my admittedly low expectations, but proved to be the exact opposite of the last two motherboards. Grab a sandwich and read on. You don’t want to miss this one."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• Intel DH67BL Intel H67 Express Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS
• Intel Core i7 3820 and ASrock Extreme4-M @ Kitguru
• Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2 @ Guru3D
• ASUS's Dual Socket 2011 Workstation Motherboard - Z9PE-D8 WS @ VR-Zone

Another Z68 motherboard from ASRock; boom or bust?

Subject: Motherboards | December 9, 2011 - 01:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asrock, z68, z68 pro3

Earlier in the month Steve reviewed the ASRock Z68 Extreme 7 Gen 3 motherboard and handed it a Silver Award.  This so called budget brand has been steadily improving over the years and the Extreme 7 was ahead of the curve.  Was that a one off success or can they match the performance of that board with the ASRock Z68 Pro3?  [H]ard|OCP just polished off a review of that board, much less intricate than the Extreme 7 but still based on the same chipset so it should be capable of similar performance.  Will this board live up to the quality we have seen recently or is this board bargain bin bound?  Read on and see.

"It’s easy to get hung up on the high end boards. Despite the flare, the coverage, and the amazing features, the bulk of the population and even the bulk of the enthusiast community rarely buys such boards. It is with this in mind that we examine a budget solution in the form of the ASRock Z68 Pro3. Low budget, low expectations?"

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• Asus P8Z68-V LX @ Kitguru
• ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe Motherboard Review @ OCIA
• ASUS Sabertooth X79 @ Tweaktown
• Intel DX79SI @ Tweaktown
• MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
• BIOSTAR TA990FXE AMD 990FX Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
• Zotac A75-ITX WiFi Review @ OCC
• Zotac A75-ITX WiFi @ Bjorn3D
• ECS A990FXM-A Socket AM3+ @ techPowerUp

Can ASRock manage to make an extreme motherboard

Subject: Motherboards | November 10, 2011 - 02:35 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asrock, Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, ga-z68x

Taking a break from reviewing the major names in motherboards, [H]ard|OCP took hold of ASRock's Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 motherboard to see what that companies flagship motherboard is capable of.  The motherboard arrived for review in an impressive stainless steel box, unfortunately once the box was opened the review started on a downhill trend.  [H] didn't say that the board had the worst layout they've seen but had serious concerns with the placement of PCIe slots as well as the location of the auxiliary power connection.  Once the board was hooked up [H] tried the UEFI BIOS that ASRock implemented with moderate success, they had better luck with the included overclocking software.  Even with the problems they describe in the review, the board did survive their stability testing with no problems whatsoever.

"Several people on our forums wanted to see a little more brand diversity when it comes to motherboard reviews. Ask and you shall receive. We take our first look at one of ASRock’s "finest" motherboards. The Z68 Extreme4 Gen3. Long name, lots of features, and a big steaming bowl of disappointment."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• ASUS P8Z68-V @ [H]ard|OCP
• GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2 (Intel X79) @ Tweaktown
• MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS
• ASUS Sabertooth X79 @ Tweaktown
• Asus P8P67 Pro B3 Rev 3.1 Motherboard @ Rbmods
• Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79 Motherboard Preview @ eTeknix
• ECS P67H2-A Black Extreme Intel P67 @ PC Stats
• BIOS Option Of The Week - Intel Dynamic Acceleration @ TechARP
• ASUS F1A75-V Pro vs. Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H – Llano at ~$120 @ AnandTech
• ECS A990FXM-A Black Series Motherboard @ HardwareHeaven
• Biostar TA990FXE AM3+ @ techPowerUp
• Flagship Mainboards for Bulldozer from Asus, Gigabyte and MSI @ X-bit Labs
• GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD7 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

More industry fallout from the flooding in Thailand

Subject: General Tech | November 9, 2011 - 12:43 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, gigabyte, ECS, asrock, msi, market share

With HDD shortages come a reduced demand for most PC components as shipping a system without a hard drive tends to be frowned upon.  This will be hitting motherboard makers fairly hard over the last quarter of 2011.  DigiTimes reports an estimated 20% drop for Gigabyte; MSI, ECS and ASRock are expecting around a 10% decrease and ASUS projects somewhere in the neighbourhood of 5-10%.  We can certainly hope that there will be discounts offered in the attempt to focus on upgraders.  A nice price on some of the new motherboards that have just come onto the market might draw the attention of those who already have a fully functional PC but are considering a possible hardware refresh.

"Motherboard makers have been impacted by HDD shortages arising from flooding in Thailand since mid-October, and are expected to see their fourth-quarter shipments decrease 10-15% on quarter, according to industry sources.

Gigabyte Technology may see shipments falling 20-25% from five million in the third quarter to below four million in the fourth."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Looking at AMD amid layoffs and new directions @ SemiAccurate
• Adobe Abandons Mobile Flash: Report @ Wired
• Mozilla updates to Firefox 8, disables add-ons @ The Register
• Case Modding with Aquatuning Review @ XSReviews

ASRock Vision 3D HTPC With Sandy Bridge CPU Leaks to Web

Subject: General Tech | September 8, 2011 - 08:09 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sandybridge, Intel, htpc, asrock

ASRock, a company most well known for its motherboards, has built a sleek little HTPC (home theater PC) whose specifications recently leaked to the web. Powered by a choice of Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5, or i7 processors, and a discrete Nvidia GT540M graphics card with 1 GB RAM the small black or silver chassis has enough power to deliver 2D or 3D video with ease. Further, the computer features a Blu-ray drive, the aforementioned Nvidia 3D Vision technology, a media center remoter, and a media card reader.

Connectivity includes headphone and microphone inputs, two USB 3.0 ports, SD card reader, and power button on the front. The rear of the HTPC contains a host of connectivity options including a power jack, S/PDIF, 7.1 channel analog audio jacks, Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, DVI, E-SATA, HDMI 1.4a, and four USB 2.0 ports. Air ventilation slots and a Kensington lock slot.

Needless to say, this little PC is loaded with options, and would even be capable of some light gaming in addition to its role as a movie and multimedia playback device. The aesthetics are pretty good as well. Do you have a dedicated HTPC box in your entertainment center or do you use extender devices like the Xbox 360 to play your media on the TV?  You can see more photos and details on the HTPC over at Engadget.

ASRock's small unassuming HTPC hides real power

Subject: Systems | August 2, 2011 - 03:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asrock, CoreHT-252B, htpc

Inside the 195mm (7.6") x 70mm (2.8") x 186mm (7.2")  ASRock CoreHT-252B HTPC you will find a Core i5 2520m, 8GB DDR3-1333, a Lite-ON Blu-ray combodrive and a 500GB Western Digital Scorpio Black HDD.  Pretty much all that you would need to run a proper HTPC and in a form that will look fine sitting under a TV.  For input and output you have S/PDIF, mic-in, headphone-out, HDMI 4.1a and VGA as well as 2 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0 and an eSATA3 port for data transfer if you don't want to use the wired or wireless NICs.  They sell it without an OS, which can be welcome for those wanting to build a MythTV or other non-Windows MCE HTPC and Overclockers Club were also glad of the upgrade options that this HTPC offers.  Head to their full review here.
 

"If, on the other hand, you want an HTPC that can also act as a desktop replacement, look no further. There's adequate power for rendering of all sorts and the included RAM ought to cover most non-professional needs, but, if more is required, the board does support 8GB. Storage can be upgraded to include another 2.5" storage drive, and the included WD Scorpio Black could easily be replaced with an SSD. If more power is needed, the board will support the Core i7 2720m for more processing power (two more cores and threads!). A Blu-ray drive and wireless 802.11n wireless are included as standard."

Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:

HTPC

• AC Ryan Playon!HD Mini 2 Review @ Techgage
• Blu-ray Importing: July 2011 Buying Guide @ Tweaktown
• SilverStone Grandia GD03 HTPC Case Review @ ReviewDesk
• Energysistem DVB-T T1250HDTV @ XSReviews
• Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Center Wireless Keyboard Review @MissingRemote